Reflection 8

During my practicing this past week I have become more aware of my system. The Drengenberg article made me more aware of how my body is always active. When I am in the practice room I usually start by sitting to do my technique and studies. Once I move to my solo repertoire I will stand up and practice. When I stand up I feel like I am performing, my posture is always pretty good. Oppositely when I am sitting, I can notice tension throughout my body. When this happens I try to re-adjust to be more comfortable. The article shares that when you are narrowing your focus you do not notice the little pains. For me I do not feel discomfort when I am focusing on a technical passage, I am focusing my attention on my fingers and breath support. If I move to an easier scale or play a passage from a study that I am very familiar with, I start to feel the pain! I became more aware of that this week. Now when I practice, if I feel discomfort I will stop and note what feels wrong. After noting this I will then change my position knowing that I am adapting to the surroundings and fatigue of the day if I am practicing at night. In regards to my sound, the Gorman and Day article opened my eyes to how I can interpret my sound. When I do not like my tone I usually would be frustrated. By ultra focusing on my tone my embouchure is not correct anymore and my fingers are not mentally engaged. I tried to forget about how I sounded and play the piece with my heart and focusing on my musicianship. When I did this and recorded myself, I found that I have a good tone when it is not something I hyper focus on. Of course, it is something I am aware of, but when I see my music as a phrase and in the space around me, I sound so much better. When I intend to just be in the music, I sound better.